Alston Ramsay

Alston Ramsay is an American journalist, speechwriter, screenwriter, and film producer. He is known for his work as a Pentagon speechwriter in the Bush and Obama administrations and as a screenwriter for critically acclaimed feature films. Ramsay spent a year in Kabul, Afghanistan, on General David Petraeus’ senior staff. He wrote and produced the IFC film Midnighters which holds a certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[1] His second film, The Current Occupant, is a tech-noir horror film about the President of the United States.[2] The film was produced by Blumhouse for the Into the Dark anthology series and released on Hulu in July 2020.[3]

Alston Ramsay
Born
Asheboro, North Carolina
Alma materDartmouth College
Occupation(s)Screenwriter, Film Producer, Journalist, Speechwriter
Years active2006–present

Early life and education

Ramsay grew up in a small town in North Carolina where his family worked in medical textiles. He attended Dartmouth College, where he was editor-in-chief of a campus journal.[4] He graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in American Government. He also has an M.B.A. from UNC Kenan–Flagler Business School. He frequently works with his older brother, film and television director Julius Ramsay.[5]

Career

Ramsay began his career as a journalist and magazine editor before moving to Washington, D.C. He spent four years as the deputy chief speechwriter for Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. He then worked for Commanding General David Petraeus in Afghanistan as Petraeus' head writer and strategic analyst. Ramsay has also written speeches for former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, other four-star generals, presidential candidates, and Fortune 100 CEOs.[6]

After receiving his MBA, Ramsay moved to Los Angeles and wrote and produced the independent thriller film Midnighters. Following its premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival, the film was purchased and released by IFC in 2018.[7]

Ramsay's second feature film, The Current Occupant, is a psychedelic institutional horror film based on his experiences working in politics. Actor Barry Watson stars as a patient in a mental asylum who believes that he is the President of the United States. Ramsay wrote the screenplay and worked as an Executive Producer on the film. The Current Occupant aired as an episode of the horror anthology web television series Into the Dark and served as the tenth episode of the show's second season. It was produced by Blumhouse as a Hulu Original for Hulu. Filming was completed two weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic suspended film production in the United States. A trailer was released on July 2, 2020[8] and the film premiered on July 17 on Hulu to favorable reviews.[9][10][11]

Filmography
Year Film Genre Role Notes
2017 Midnighters Thriller Writer, producer
2020 Into the Dark Horror Writer, executive producer Episode: "The Current Occupant"

References
  1. "'Midnighters': Film Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes.
  2. Barta, Preston (2020-07-17). "'CURRENT OCCUPANT' director ventures 'into the dark' corners of our mind in psychological thriller". Fresh Fiction. Fresh Fiction. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  3. Squires, John (2020-07-02). "The President Ends Up in the Psych Ward in Hulu's "Into the Dark: The Current Occupant" [Trailer]". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  4. Womick, Chip. "Asheboro Brother bring thriller to big screen". Retrieved 2018-04-09.
  5. Breuninger, Kevin (2018-03-03). "How a former Pentagon speechwriter made the switch to the independent film business". CNBC. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  6. Siegel, Tatiana (2020-07-16). "'Into the Dark: The Current Occupant' Writer on "Insane" Trump and Life Imitating Art". The Hollywood Reporter. The Hollywood Reporter.
  7. Iryna, Sonya (March 2018). "Walking Dead director Julius Ramsay talks about his new film Midnighters". Undead Walking. Undead Walking. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  8. ghermanns (2020-07-02). "Into the Dark's The Current Occupant Trailer from Julius & Alston Ramsay". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  9. Anderson, John. "'Into the Dark: The Current Occupant' Review: A Curious Claim to the Oval Office". The Wall Street Journal. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  10. Serba, John (2020-07-17). "Stream It Or Skip It: 'Into the Dark: Current Occupant' on Hulu, a Hyper-political Thriller About a Probably Insane President". Decider. Decider. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  11. Levinson, Paul. "Into the Dark: The Current Occupant". Vocal. Vocal.media. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
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